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New Justices of the Peace (JP) for St. Andrew (from left) Shirley Price, David Pearson and Ewan Oliver, take the Oath of Allegiance, at the commissioning ceremony held on June 14, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston. Thirty-two JPs were sworn in for the parish.

Justices of the Peace Urged to Become Mentors for Vulnerable Children

Custos Rotulorum for the parish of St. Andrew, Hon. Dr. Patricia Dunwell, is urging the new Justices of the Peace (JPs) for the parish to help to prevent child abuse by becoming mentors for vulnerable children in their communities. She...

ISO Ambassador/Consultant at the ISO Quality Systems Division in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Reginald Budhan (left), in conversation with (from second left) Managing Director, Quality Systems Solutions and Initiatives (QSSI), Sheryl Anderson; and Chairman, QSSI Board, Major Hugh Blake. Occasion was the launch of the QSSI Training Institute on June 14 at the Pegasus Commerce Centre, Upper Waterloo Road.

Food Producers Urged to Become Certified

Co-curriculum Coordinator at the Ardenne High School, St. Andrew, Marsha Lawrence-Davids (left), receives the Marcus Garvey Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts from Public Relations and Administrative Manager for the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund, Hillary Coulton (right). Sharing the moment at centre is Interim Executive Director of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), Orville Hill. Occasion was the JCDC’s National Performing Arts Excellence Awards Ceremony held on June 14 at the Little Theatre in Kingston.

Ardenne Takes Home JCDC’s Top Honour for Sixth Straight Year

Persons donate blood inside the ballroom of the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville, Manchester, on World Blood Donor Day, June 14.

NBTS Collects 28,271 Units of Blood

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Donovan Stanberry (right), speaks with President, Small Business Association of Jamaica, Hugh Johnson, at the media launch of the inaugural Caribbean Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (MSME) Conference at the Spanish Court Hotel on May 25. The conference is slated for July 19 to 21 in Montego Bay.

Jamaica to Host Caribbean MSME Conference July 19 to 21

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, examines Jamaican patois-speaking dolls on display during the launch of the Jamaica Independence Festival at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston on June 14.

9 years ago Culture

Town and Villages to Come Alive for ‘Jamaica 55’

Town centres and villages across the island are expected to come alive with the celebration of culture for ‘Jamaica 55’. Activities include church services; parish vigils; flag-raising ceremonies; festival bandwagon, which is a mobile showcase of the best talents from the parishes in the performing arts, public fora, street dances, independence concerts and stage shows. Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (3rd right), and Canada

9 years ago National Security and PeacePrime Minister

PM Opens JDF Directorate of Training and Doctrine

The Jamaica Defence Force’s (JDF) training capabilities have been boosted with the establishment of its Directorate of Training and Doctrine. Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, formally opened the facility located at the JDF headquarters at Up Park Camp, Kingston, on June 14. Developed with support from the Government of Canada’s Military Training and Cooperation Programme (MTCP), the facility,...

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, addresses the launch of the Jamaica Independence Festival at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston on June 14. (File)

9 years ago Culture

Gov’t to Establish Entertainment Insurance Plan

The Government of Jamaica is looking to establish an Entertainment Insurance Plan to assist the music industry and artistes. Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, said the plan will be supported from the sales of the ‘Jamaica 55’ commemorative album. “It is very heart-rending at times when our well-known, iconic artistes pass away and there are...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (right), is in discussion with (from left), former New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner, Raymond Kelly; Security and International Cooperation Advisor for Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and former Head Chief General of the Colombian National Police, General Rosso José Serrano; and Minister of National Security, Hon. Robert Montague. Occasion was the opening ceremony for a two-day Multilateral Crime Summit at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on June 15.

9 years ago National Security and PeacePrime Minister

Increased Focus on Intelligence in Addressing Crime – PM

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the police force will be making greater use of intelligence in addressing crime, moving away from the over-reliance on hard policing. As such, he said, increased focus will be placed on information gathering, data analysis and strategic planning, “to give them a more targeted approach to separate the criminals from the law-abiding...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck (second left), looks on as Court Statistician, Dr. Denarto Dennis (right), and Data Entry Clerk from the St. Ann Parish Court, Shanique Davis (seated), demonstrate the use of the Court Information Statistical System (CISS), which has been implemented at parish courts across the island. Head of Development Cooperation at the High Commission of Canada, Walter Bernyck; and Chief Justice, Hon. Zaila McCalla, also observe. Occasion was the official launch of the system on January 21, at the Ministry’s Constant Spring Road offices.

9 years ago Justice

Processing of Court Cases to Be Improved Through CISS

The justice sector should see significant improvement in its processing of court cases, having implemented a Court Information Statistical System (CISS) in parish courts islandwide. The system allows for the tracking of matters as they move through the court system from initiation to disposition, which will result in faster determination of when a case falls into backlog. Statistics and Data...

Chief Justice, The Hon Mrs. Justice Zaila Rowena McCalla, OJ

9 years ago Justice

Chief Justice Responds to the Police Commissioner’s Statements

Press Release- The Chief Justice and other members of the Judiciary have taken note of the recent statements by the Commissioner of Police regarding the vast number of persons arrested and the likely length of time it will take for these matters to be tried. We in the judiciary are just as concerned especially as these new matters are adding...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness. (FILE)

9 years ago Office of the Prime Minister

Government will Tackle Crime Decisively – PM Holness

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the government will tackle crime decisively to secure a better future for Jamaica. “The only obstacle in the way of our growth potential is crime,” stated the prime minister. He was speaking today (June 14) at the groundbreaking ceremony of The Hampshire Housing Development by Guardian Life, Musgrave Avenue in Kingston. “We know that crime...